Harnessing the Power of ChatGPT: Six Tips for Crafting Better Prompts

As we continue to incorporate Artificial Intelligence into our educational toolkit, one key player that has emerged is ChatGPT, a language model developed by OpenAI. However, while this tool is potent, it's not always intuitive to use. To help facilitate effective prompts, we have instituted the SLAATR model for our prompts so that we spend less time with iterations to get the desired output. SLAATR is also the name of my in-class AI tutor hosted through POE. Using the SLAATR model, here are six tips for crafting better prompts, so you can optimize the responses from ChatGPT and better leverage it in your teaching.

• STRUCTURE: Describe how the output should be structured and formatted. Do you need a list? A song? An essay? 

• LENGTH: Generative AI can write a lot or a little. If you have an ideal quantity in mind, specify it in the prompt. Do you want a list of 10 ideas? A 20-line poem? A 500-word blog post?  Be sure to include your ideal length in the prompt.

• AUDIENCE: The audience can give meaning to the tone in which the bot produces the output. Is the audience a group of children? research professionals? College students? Potential customers? Give this information in the prompt in order to get the appropriate tone and language in the response.

• ACTION: If you need a specific style of response, structure your prompt accordingly. Asking for an essay on climate change? Break down your request into sections: introduction, causes, effects, solutions, and conclusion. Need it to ask you further questions to fully understand what you need? Tell it to do that.

• TEMPERATURE: The 'temperature' controls the randomness of ChatGPT's output. Lower values yield more predictable responses, while higher ones produce more varied outputs.

• ROLE: Finally, be sure to explain who the bot should act as. "You are an account executive..." You are an esteemed researcher in..." You are Ernest Hemingway..." and any other character you want to portray. This will also affect tone.

As a bonus, remember AI bots can remember conversation chains. Keep chatting to get what you want.

• Iterate and Refine: Lastly, don't be afraid to experiment with your prompts. If the output isn't what you were hoping for, try tweaking the prompt and running it again. With practice and refinement, you'll soon become a pro at extracting the most value from ChatGPT.

In summary, while AI can't replace the richness of human instruction and connection, it certainly has a place in our classrooms. By using these tips, you'll be well on your way to harnessing the power of ChatGPT to augment your teaching.